911 Remember
by messersmontana
Summary: My tribute to 9/11 and what true friendship really means. The true meaning of family.


Remember

This is a tribute to the people that lost their lives on 9/11

Mac has locked himself up in his office on 9/11/2009. Can Stella and the team bring him out of his pain of remembering?

This fic is dedicated to those who fought the battle on 9/11 and those who lost their lives in a terrible time.

I don't own CSI NY or anything but the idea of this story.

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Mac got off of the elevator and made it to his office before anyone saw him. He was glad that he didn't have to act cheerful or say hi to anyone today. Today was a day that he dreaded every year, September 11th. It was eight years ago, on that awful day, that he'd lost not only co-workers, but the most important person in his life. That day, he'd lost his wife Claire.

Normally this day came and went in a blur, due to the fact that he kept himself busy on a case and tried not to think about it. But, this year was different because this year would have been Mac and Claire's tenth wedding anniversary. Mac had even made plans years in advance for this day, he was going to take Claire to Hawaii for their tenth anniversary.

He'd almost forgotten that he had paid for the tickets and the hotel in advance, that is until he received the confirmation letter in the mail a few days ago. They should have been planing their vacations for November to go and spend what he'd planned on being their second honeymoon in Hawaii. Instead, he was locked up in his office and trying to keep the pain from overcoming him.

Mac had gotten on with his life, or tried to with Peyton. But, she wasn't Claire and in the end their love wasn't strong enough to overcome the distance of her living in England and he in New York. Mac wondered if there was another Claire out there for him, and if he'd ever get over this pain. He had kept his light off when he closed himself up in his office, but he knew that sooner or later Stella would come looking for him.

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Stella got off of the elevator and headed straight for Mac's office, only to find the door locked and him sitting there in the dark. She knocked on the door and waited for him to look at her, but he didn't even move. She knew that today was hard on him, but she wasn't sure if this year she could keep his mind off of Claire and what happened eight years ago.

Stella went down the hall to the break room and found Danny, Lindsay, Jess, and Don all having coffee while talking about what today means to them. At the moment that she walked in the door, Don was telling about a couple of friends of his who had been killed when they were trapped in tower two during the collapse. "Jason and Trent were good guys, they never even found their bodies. Well, they found Trent's badge, but that was all." He said.

Lindsay looked up when she saw Stella enter. "Oh, hey Stella. We were just talking about what we were doing on September 11th, during the attacks. Flack just told us about a couple of friends of his." She explained.

Stella nodded. "Yeah, I remember that day too. Mac and I lost someone very dear to us that day, his wife Claire. Claire and I were very old and dear friends and I introduced her to Mac. This year in November would have been their tenth wedding anniversary. I tried to go and see him, but he's locked himself away in his office with the lights out and I can't seem to get him to open up." She said as she sat down on the sofa with a heavy sigh.

Danny went over to sit next to her. "Is there anything that we can do about it?" He asked.

She got an idea and a smile broke out on her face. "As a matter of fact, there is. Can you guys put together a quiet dinner for all of us, maybe at your house and I'll drag Mac there myself. Maybe all of us can help cheer him up and get through to him that he's not alone. We're all family and what effects one of us, effects all of us." She went on to plan the night with them before trying to get Mac to let her into his office.

Lindsay and Jess, who were both still on light duty, left to go and get the things they needed for the dinner, and to set up the house for tonight. Lindsay picked up Lucy early from her babysitter because she knew that the little girl would be the best medicine for Mac today. He so loved his little God daughter.

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Luckily for Stella, they got a call and the rest of the day went by in a blur. Mac was out on a call with Flack and Hawkes, and they were both to let her know if Mac seemed depressed during the case. She was glad that she never got a call from them. She sent Kendall to help Lindsay and Jess once her work was all done for the day, while Danny and Adam went to get the alcohol for the night. Sid would pick up his wife on the way to the Messer house after work, but hopefully would be there by the time she got Mac there.

When they got back to the lab, Stella sent Hawkes and Don over to the Messer house and went in search of Mac. She knocked on his door and he wearily looked up at her. She could see how much he was hurting today and it made her more determined to make him happy. He was the most important person in her life and they had been friends too long for her to let him keep hurting like this.

Walking into his office, she sat down across from him. "How are doing Mac? And don't lie to me, I can see it if you do."

"I'll be okay tomorrow Stella, you know that. It's just so much harder this year. I miss her so much." He said, running his hands over his face.

She got up and moved around his desk. "Why don't I take you to dinner tonight Mac?" She asked him.

He shook his head. "I'm not going to be good company tonight Stella, maybe another night." He said as he stood and grabbed his jacket.

"Mac, I won't take no for an answer. I already made reservations and you're not going to get out of it. I'm not letting you go home alone to think about Claire all night. So, come on." She said, taking his arm and leading him out of his office to the elevators.

Mac didn't even pay attention as they drove and she was glad that he didn't notice that they'd left the city and were headed for Danny and Lindsay's house. When they pulled up in front of the house, Mac looked at where they were and then back to Stella. "Why are we here?" He asked.

"I told you that I made reservations for dinner. I just didn't tell you that it was here or that we wouldn't be alone. Come on Mac, this will be good for all of us." She said as she got out of the car and waited for him on the curb.

He sighed and got out of the car and followed her up to the door. "I'm telling you that I'm not going to be good company tonight. I don't want to bring everyone down with me."

"Mac, some of us lost someone on that day too. Flack was telling of two good friends he lost in the towers that day, and Danny was going to tell his story before I interrupted them. This is for all of us, so please do this with us?" She asked him.

He only nodded and they knocked on the door and waited to be let in. Lindsay opened the door and placed Lucy in Mac's arms. He couldn't help but smile at his little God daughter. She was one of the bright things left in his life, of course Stella and their friends were the other. He followed the ladies inside and was greeted by everyone else.

Dinner was his favorite foods and the stories that were told we not from that awful day. There was a lot of old memories retold or shared for the first time. Danny told them some funny stories about what happened during the time Aiden was around. It happened during game night with the two of them and Flack.

Lindsay and Jess found it funny that they'd never told her about Aiden and the food fight at her place during football season one year. Don even mentioned that he was the one hiding under the table while the two of them had thrown all the snacks at each other over a stupid bet. Neither one of them could remember right who won the bet, but Aiden's apartment was a mess the next morning and they all had hangovers.

Lindsay then told them what happened when Danny showed up in Montana after he had been suspended, just before Lucy was born. They laughed over how her brother's and dad took Danny out to the barn and he looked worried on the way out. But everything turned out okay and they all were laughing when they got back into the house. Come to find out that they were welcoming him into the family in their own way and they ere showing him the animal that she had autopsied.

Next Stella told them about the first time she met Mac. She had been early on the first day at the lab and had stopped for some coffee before reporting to her new boss. Mac was walking out of his office as she was walking in to meet him and they collided, spilling her coffee on both of them. It didn't take long for the two of them to become really good friends.

The rest of the night was the same, everyone shared some really funny or happy memories. Of course the happy memory that Mac shared this evening was when Lucy was born and he'd been asked to be her God father. She was happily asleep in his arms most of the night and if he felt a twinge of sadness, all he had to do is look down at the pretty baby in his arms and smile.

Mac looked around at everyone sitting around the family room at the moment, and knew that they were the reason he was here still and not a broken man. Sid and his wife Kathy were sitting on the sofa with him and Stella, Danny was in his recliner with Lindsay on his lap, and Adam and Kendall were on the floor by the fireplace. On the love seat was Jess and Don, both smiling at one another while Hawkes was sitting in the other recliner.

This was his family and they meant more to him than anything. With them, he could get through anything, and he knew that they'd all always be there for him. He made up his mind right then and there, he'd take that Hawaii vacation that he'd planned for Claire and him, and he wouldn't be taking it alone. He looked over at Stella and knew that it was all her doing that he was here, laughing instead of crying at home.

When the evening broke up, everyone said goodnight and went their separate ways. Mac and Stella were on their way back to the lab so Mac could pick up his car. "Hey Stella, what are you doing the third week of November?" He asked her.

She looked over at him. "Nothing that I know of. That's still a couple of months away, and I haven't planned anything yet."

He smiled at her and took her hand. "Well then, don't plan anything because I would like for you to go to Hawaii with me. Claire would have loved for us to go there and not let the trip go to waste. I'd also like for you to go with me, it would mean a lot if you will say yes."

Stella had to pull over because she had tears in her eyes. "Are you sure Mac?" She asked him.

"I'm sure. You're the most important person in my life and I can't even think about living a day without you in it. It would be so much fun for us to take this trip. I'll just change the reservations to make sure that you will have your own room." He promised.

She smiled back at him and hugged him. "I'd be honored to go with you on your Hawaiian vacation Mac. And I'm sure that Claire would be happy with us going together also." She said as she pulled back into traffic and drove the rest of the way to the lab with a smile on her face.

The End

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A/N I guess it's not so much as a tribute to remembering 9/11, but more to going on with our lives. We'll never forget what happened on that awful day, but by going on with our lives, we can tell the terrorists that they can't break us. I hope that you all like this. I haven't given up on my series or the hurricane story, I promise. This just needed to be written.

Thanks for reading.


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